Google announced on the Android Official Blog this week that the music storage limit for free Google Play Music users has been bumped up from 20,000 songs to 50,000 songs. You can stream or download any of those 50k songs to your phone, tablet, computer or Chromecast. More →

Now that all three Hobbit movies have been released, Google is apparently letting Tolkien fans everywhere celebrate by giving away the first Lord of the Rings movie. Yes, you heard that correctly — you can now download Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring for free right now from Google Play. More →

There are lots of apps on the Google Play Store but a lot of them are, quite frankly, junk. However, Android Authority points out that Google has just added a terrific new feature to Google Play that will help you weed out bad apps and only find the ones that have received high praise from Android users. More →

Although many smartphone users scoff at the idea of paying for apps when there are so many free alternatives, some of the most worthwhile apps on your app store of choice will cost you a dollar or two. Still, there’s always a chance that once you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll realize that it wasn’t what your were expecting. More →

Google on Thursday revealed it’s ready to support even more payment methods for Google Play purchases, thus encouraging buyers to spend money on apps, movies, TV shows and music. The company announced additional payment options for its online store, including PayPal support, which will let people in 12 countries pay for apps and other digital content. More →

This past December, we reported that a popular Android app called Brightest Flashlight could do more than just shine light. Brightest Flashlight was a simple flashlight app that was highly-rated and had over 50 million installs. However, it had one devious, hidden feature: It would share personal data, such as your location, with advertisers. The FTC caught wind of this and began investigating the developer. According to GigaOm, the FTC reached a settlement with the developer last week, and it looks like he got away easy. More →

Gamers are frugal. If you’ve kept up with mobile gaming at all over the past several years, you’re already well aware of the rise of freemium games — they’re free up front, but require a small monetary investment, usually in the form of in-app purchases, for a reasonable rate of progression. The freemium market came to a head with the release of Candy Crush Saga about a year and a half ago, converting millions of non-gamers to obsessed puzzle fiends. In light of the shifting market, WildTangent has teamed up with research and analytics firm IHS Technology to examine the new trend of bucking one-time fees. More →

Even though the Nokia X trio of Android handsets actually runs a forked Android version that looks more like Windows Phone than Google’s famous mobile OS – and their OS are completely stripped off any Google apps including the Play Store – there’s actually hope that users will be able to run Android apps from Google’s app store in addition to Nokia’s store and all the other third-party supported application stores. More →